stonegod's Expedition to Castle Ravenloft [Updated RG]

In the wilds between the fields of Karnnath and the holds of Mror, an isolated valley holds necromantic secrets from before the Conqueror's time. But it holds a curse that blights the land and its people. What started as an expedition for lost arcane knowledge has turned into something else---a chance to redeem a place lost, or to fall to its madness forever.

Character Creation
Characters were created using a 32 pt. point-buy for characters at 6th level. Hit points are max at first level, then alternating low-high average. The following sources are allowed: Core, the XPH, the Complete Series (including Psionics and Mage), the PHBII, the DMGII, all Eberron books, and Heroes of Horror. Please use the character sheet provided on the Rogue's Gallery thread. Also include your concept description of your character: Provide a background, primary role, quirks, and distinguishing abilities your character possesses (and justification for them/how they play to your concept). Character start with default gold for their level (13,000 gp at 6th) with no more than half of that gold spent on one item. No more than 200 gp may be left at the end of character creation (spend it or loose it!).

Character Sheet

Please use the following as a template. You can remove parts that are default (i.e., if you have no DR, remove that section).

Carrying Capacity: 0-58 lbs | 59-116 lbs | 117-175 lbs (medium)--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aura of courage (Su): A Paladin is immune to fear. Each ally within 10 feet gains a +4 morale bonus on saving throws against fear.
Aura of good (Ex): The power of a paladin's aura of good is equal to her paladin level. (Faint [1] | Moderate [2-4] | Strong [5-10] | Overwhelming [11+])
Detect undead (Sp): You can sense the presence of undead within 60ft. Specifically you can sense the presence or absence of undead, the number of undead auras (creatures, objects, or spells) in the area and the power of the most potent, and the power and location of each aura. If an aura is overwhelming and the level of the aura is at least twice your character level, you are stunned for 1 round. (Faint [2HD] | Moderate [3-8HD] | Strong [9-20HD] | Overwhelming [21+HD])
Divine grace (Su): Gain a bonus equal to her Charisma bonus on all saving throws
Divine health (Ex): Gain immunity to all diseases
Lay on hands (Su): A paladin can heal wounds by touch. Each day she can heal a total number of hit points of damage equal to her paladin level x charisma bonus. Using lay on hands is a standard action. Alternatively a paladin can use any or all of this healing power to deal damage to an undead creature. This requires a successful melee touch attack and doesn't provoke an AoO.
Raven harrier (Su): A knight of the raven gains a celestial raven companion (see raven harrier companion for details of raven specific, knights of the raven class abilities)
Remove disease (Sp): A paladin can produce a remove disease effect (as the spell).
Smite evil (Su): A paladin may attempt to smite evil with a normal melee attack. She adds her Charisma bonus to her attack roll and deals 1 extra point of damage per paladin level.
Smite undead (Su): A knight of the raven may attempt to smite undead with a normal melee attack. She adds her Charisma bonus to her attack roll and deals 1 extra point of damage per knight of the raven level. In addition a smite undead will deal double damage on a natural 20, and the knight of the raven gains two miss chance rolls against incorporeal undead.
Speak with ravens (Ex): A knight of the raven may speak with ravens of any variety
Special mount (Sp): A paladin gains the service of an unusually intelligent, strong and loyal steed to serve her in her crusade. Once per day, as a full-round action, a paladin may magically may call her mount from the celestial realms in which it resides. This ability is the equivalent of a spell of a level one-third the paladin's class level. The mount appears adjacent to the paladin, at full health and wearing or carrying any gear it had when it was last dismissed, and remains for 2 hours per paladin level. It may be dismissed at any time as a free action.
Sun domain (Su): Gains access to the Sun domain and the granted power and spells it offers. Once per day, you can perform a greater turning against undead in place of a regular turning. The greater turning is like a normal turning except that the undead creatures that would be turned are destroyed instead..
Turn undead (Su): Gains the ability to turn undead. She may use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + her Charisma modifier. She turns undead as a cleric of three levels lower would.

Combat expertise: Take a penalty of up to -5 on attacks and add the same as a dodge bonus to AC
Force of personality: Add charisma modifier instead of wisdom modifier to will saves vs mind affecting spells and effects
Improved combat expertise: When you use the combat expertise feat, the number you subtract from your attacks and add to your AC can be any number that does not exceed your base attack bonus
Improved smite: Smite is aligned attack; +1d6 damage
Sacred healing: use turn attempt as full round action to give fast healing 3 to all living within 60ft; 1+cha rounds

Sunsword: (Bonded: -8hp, -2 penalty to skills for 24 hrs after use) +2 bastard sword (but can be wieleded like a short sword). Against evil creatures, it is a +4 bastard sword. Against undead and similar ilk, it is treated as silvered and does double damage. 1/d, if you swing it over your head and declare "Feel the fires of day!" it begins to glow in a 10' radius (growing 4'/round until it is at 60'). It is natural daylight. When you stop swinging, the effect fades after a minute.
Symbol of Ravenkind: (Bonded: -4hp, -2 Fortitude, -1 attack) use dancing lights, flare and light at will, detect undead at will, use halt undead 2/day, bypass any DR vs undead--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Valo (Special mount)

Black as the night, the horse stands a full seventeen hands tall. Broad at the shoulder's and solid, this beast was bred for strength and endurance, well able to handle the rigors of war. Its soft brown eyes glint with a strange, almost uncanny, intelligence.

Harry: With a command from its master (swift action), the raven can harry opponents, causing them to lower their defenses
(Will DC 10+½Master's class level+Master's Charisma; causes -2 penalty to AC)

Baffle: With a command from its master (swift action), the raven can baffle opponents, distracting them from opportunities.
(Will DC 10+½Master's class level+Master's Charisma; prevents foe from making AoO)

Appearance
Ashlyn is a short woman with a wiry strength and resilience. Her white blond hair, cropped short, frames a beautiful visage, her unblemished features a stark relief to her martial garb and demeanor. Her intense green eyes gaze out, unblinking, and unflinching. Hardship and horrors have tempered her in untold conflicts and she is a hard woman, as hard as the blade she wields. Her garb is simple and practical, a blouse and trousers, covered by shining plate over which is worn an exquisite purple cloak. A shield hangs from her back, and a sword is sheathed by her side.

Background
Born during the nigh constant conflict of the Last War, Ashlyn is well used to battle. The ancestral lands of her mother's family lie to the northwest of what was once Metrol, along the west bank of the Cyre river, yet she has never lived there. Their home was the site of neverending battles against the undead forces of Karrnath, thus Ashlyn and her mother sought refuge in the Metropolis of Metrol. Her father, a true magewright and master craftsman, took up the mantle of war, unsuited for it though he was, and rode against the undead legions. Ashlyn does not know what became of him, but it is thought that he fell in combat for he never returned to his wife and daughter. After many long, cold, and dreary months waiting for her fathers return, Ashlyn's mother, tired, worn and sick of the war, took her daughter away, accross Lake Cyre into the north of Valenar. There they made their way to a nearby town and sought refuge within an old temple to the Host. Only a few short months later came the Day of Mourning.

The catalysm, that shook all of Khorvaire and destroyed Cyre, affected the survivors in different ways, ... some lost the will to continue and found an end of one sort or another, ... some began to wander, sometimes stopping in one place or another, but never truly settling down, ... some used the destruction of their homeland as their fire to continue, ... some denied it, ... and some few simply got on with life. Ashlyn was one of the later. Having lived with the constant reality of war her entire life, she was well familiar with the concepts of loss and survival, and now, as before, the practicality of survival overode the loss and she perservered.

Perserverence took Ashlyn down the path of a paladin over the following years, perserverence, tenacity and devotion. Devotion to certain ideals that she holds self-evident, and devotion to the divine embodiment of those ideals, Dol Arrah. It was, however, her memory of the undead legions of Karrnath that led her to the lightbringers. Perserverence and implacable resolve, virtue and flaw. The mix is deadly.

The last few years have been filled with battle, constant and unending battle. No matter how many of the undead fall before her, no matter how many friends and comrades fall beside her, Ashlyn continues on.

Tactics
Ashlyn will normally consider a strategic viewpoint of combat and place herself appropriately, often in a melee position that prevents her opponents from getting past her to the softer targets. When mounted she will guide Valo with her knees so that both she and Valo can attack, usually focusing on the same target(s). It is a rare occasion that she resorts to ranged combat, preferring melee, but if it is tactically sound to maintain range and does not endanger others, then she may stay mounted and fire her crossbow from horseback. If a battle swings in her opponents favor and things become desperate for her and her friends, then she may expend a turning in order to heal herself and her allies. However normally she will reserve such healing for after the battle.
Against undead, her strategies tend to be much simpler and involve slashing at the nearest undead with her blade. At the start of such a combat against undead, she may consider turning them if her knowledge of them does not indicate that they are too powerful for such an attempt.
Finally, although eminently practical, Ashlyn will always try to save those that she can (especially from the clutches of the undead). She will even risk her life for it if she thinks that there are good odds that she will succeed.

Quirks
Ashlyn embodies many of the traits that exemplify Dol Arrah. In particular she has a unyielding sense of honor and believes strongly in honorable combat and self sacrifice. However her youthful naiveity has been wiped away long ago, and she does not expect to see such honor in others. On the rare occasions that another displays such, she shows her respect by falling back on the formal forms that she learnt during her training. Spiritually tired, yet refusing to fall or stop, Ashlyn is emminently practical and has relatively little time for niceities or feelings including her own. Ironically she is often viewed as cold or callous by others, yet it is her need to protect the living that drives her. She is a careful planner and strategist although her hated of the undead occasionally clouds her judgement.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Rogue Abilities:Sneak Attack: +2d6 damage when opponents lose their Dex bonus or are flanked.Trapfinding: May use Search skill to find magical traps.Evasion: On a successful save that normally deals half-damage, character takes no damage.

Cleric Abilities:Spontaneous Healing: Can spontaneously lose any spell for a Cure spell of the same level or lower.Good Domain Power: Cast Good spells at +1 caster level.Protection Domain Power: Gives a +2 Resistance bonus to an individual's next saving throw.

Shadowbane Stalker Abilities:Detect Evil: May use Detect Evil at will as per the spell.Sacred Stealth +4: May lose a prepared divine spell to gain a +4 Sacred bonus to Hide and Move Silently checks. (2 + spell level lost minutes in duration)Discover Subterfuge +2: Gains a +2 Competence bonus on Search and Sense Motive checks.Sneak Attack: +1d6 damage when opponents lose their Dex bonus or are flanked. Sacred Defense: May lose a prepared divine spell to gain a +4 Sacred bonus to Armor Class. (Spell level lost rounds in duration)

Lightbringer Abilities:Turn Undead: May use one Turn Undead attempt to deal 2d6 damage to all undead within 30'. (Standard Action / Will save for Half / Save DC 14)True Daylight: May use one Turn Undead attempt to power up a special casting of the Daylight spell. Spell acts like true daylight for affecting vampires and other light-sensitive creatures. (Standard Action / 1d4 round duration / 10' radius)Penetrating Strike: When flanking a creature normally immune to Sneak Attack, may still inflict +1d6 Sneak Attack damage.

Feats:Oversized Weapon Fighting: May treat a One-Handed Weapon in off-hand as a Light Weapon for penalties.Razing Strike: May lose a divine spell to gain an insight bonus to attack and damage rolls for one round. The bonus to attack rolls is equal to the level of the spell sacrificed, and the bonus to damage rolls is 1d6 points per level of the spell sacrificed plus any extra damage based upon caster's Sneak Attack ability (+3d6) (Swift Action, CAd pg 112)

Background: Jarrith Bronns was taught vehemently since birth what the Church of the Silver Flame was good for and why it was needed, because both of his parents learned first-hand of the evil in the world. Martin and Milla Bronns were both victims of the scourge of the dopplegangers, as the village they grew up in within Aundair became infested with the fiends, and both sets of their parents were replaced by doppleganger duplicates. It was only through the grace of the Flame itself that templars finally arrived to eradicate the evil from within the village, and Martin and Milla (both sixteen at the time) clung to each other in their grief. This eventually led to love... both for each other, and for the precepts of what the Church of the Silver Flame taught. They moved to Thrane and became staunch proponents of the teachings... raising their young son Jarrith within the faith.

However, they perhaps taught him a little TOO well, since he grew up more unbending than many others around him. He was an intense, stringent, exceedingly fervent young man, whose entire life became nothing but service to the Flame. The goodness within him was obvious... and his desires to destroy all evil in the world was plain... but it seemed that he was not above fighting fire with fire so-to-speak, especially when he took his vows as a templar. His will to serve Church, parents, and Khorvaire was absolute, but it made for a not-quite-so pure young man. And it was this man that was found by the Order of Illumination-- a wing of the Church a bit more orthodox than many others. They were always looking for young men and women who would fight evil regardless of the cost. If they had to damn themselves in order to save the rest of the flock, then so be it. And when inducted, Jarrith fit into their ranks like a hand in a glove.

Bronns has now spent the last seven years fighting the evil of the world by walking along it's fine edge. A master of stealth and agility, he is always called upon to infiltrate places where evil has gotten hold, and open it up for others of the faith to make their way in. He dances lithely on the edge, knowing full-well that one false step and his plunges irrevocably into the darkness. Upon his indoctrination into the Order, the Flame elders paired him with another initiate named Sir Khensu Feral, a shifter of great strength. At first Jarrith was annoyed with the notion that someone was being sent to "watch his back", but over time he has come to love Sir Khensu like the brother he never had. They both have the utmost respect for each other and their devotion to the Flame, and while Sir Khensu helps Jarrith stay within the light, Jarrith helps Sir Khensu keep his feral nature in check. The two have become inseperable, and you'll more often than not find them both flanking some creature of evil, all in the name of the Keeper Of The Flame. Jarrith would gladly give his life to protect Sir Khensu, and this is why they both wear a slim platinum band on the ring finger of their right hand. When Jarrith knows Sir Khensu is going into a situation where death is a real possibility, he will gladly cast a Shield Other spell upon him in order to take on some of the pain his brother will endure.

In addition to his devotion to his Lumin Brother, Jarrith has met and worked with a number of other people. Probably most often he has fought next to Marot The Deadly... a human touched by the demons below the earth. Jarrith actually appreciates and accepts Marot probably more than other devout members of the Church Of The Silver Flame do, because the constant battle Marot fights to stay out of the darkness each day is something that Jarrith knows well. The difference between the two of them of course is that Jarrith is just fighting a moral battle, whereas Marot has to fight against his very nature (something that Jarrith also experiences with Sir Khensu all the time). Although Marot is not a member of the Order Of Illumination directly (because it is a religious order within the Church you have to join), Jarrith treats the Flame-worshipping Marot as much like a Lumin Brother as anyone. He sees the three of them as an unstoppable force in the pursuit of lightness... Jarrith's stealth, Sir Khensu's strength, and Marot's eldritch might combine together to form a living weapon of the Silver Flame.

The other members of the group as not as well known, nor as well accepted as Sir Khensu and Marot. Jarrith certainly appreciates the pain that the two noblepeople Janis ir'Sandal and Daellin ir'Ayellan went through when their homeland of Cyre was destroyed. The fact that this woman and man of noble birth are now fighting the good fight rather than bemoan the loss, says a lot about their character. Jarrith finds Daellin to be a strong ally because of both their desires to eradicate the evil that is the undead, however Jarrith does often silently question the elf's motives, since he had heard that back in the elven homeland the undead are worshipped as deific figures just like the Voice Of The Flame is worshipped. And that is an anathema to him. As far as the wizard Janis ir'Sandal is concerned, she seems to be a woman of some ability, however she does not appear to have much strength... neither of muscle, nor of will, nor of character. Jarrith thinks that her skills and arcane power are impressive, but he does wonder if she will always have his back. Her desires seem to always be of a selfish nature, and her attitudes to the plight of others seem to take a backseat to her own personal plight. It makes him question whether she can truly be useful in helping him weed out the evil of the world.

Finally, there is the woman Selase Kolandra. She is... uncomfortable to him. She is a priestess of the Blood of Vol. A necromancer. A woman who controls the undead rather than eradicates them. Jarrith has always tried to look beyond the trappings of her faith and look at the woman underneath... because he finds a good, honest, and caring woman who uses her time on Khorvaire to bring about change and protect the people of the world. However, her devotion to the Divinity Within leads to many conflicts between them, both personally and spiritually.

Primary Role: Infiltration and observation, with a secondary role of back-up divine caster.

Quirks and Distinguishing Abilities: Master of stealth, which is only enhanced by his abilities as a member of the Order Of Illumination. He's also very good at information gathering and character detection. He's very much a "attack first - ask questions later" kind of person, which can lead to some difficulties when dealing with polite society. Also his fervor in defending the principles of the Church can become rather tiring when he's around the non-believers. He's not the sort of guy you want to get stuck sitting next to at a dinner party... but when you are on a job you have no worries about whether he will do what is needed or asked of him. Just try not to get him to use all his divine power purely for healing... because as far as he's concerned, you can hire a Jorasco house member for that kind of crap. The Flame grants him his abilities to root out evil... not to play nursemaid to a bunch of weaklings who have stubbed their toes.

Tactics: Will start by casting Cat's Grace and Shield of Faith on himself with his wands if he has the time to do so (always before a combat that they are the engagers of). If he suspects that this will be a very difficult fight, he will also cast Aid upon himself as well. He will then attempt to Hide if possible and work his way around to the back of combat in order to Sneak Attack from the shadows. Preferably he then engages into melee combat in as close to a flanking position as possible (usually with Sir Khensu, but with anyone else if Sir Khensu is not available). If not flanking, he will 5' step around to eventually get into flanking position. If at any point he gets injured down to 7 hit points or less, he will 5' step out of combat and exchange one of his spells for a Cure spell and cast it on himself.

Appearance: Tessa is, for the most part, a rather unremarkable-looking young woman; only a cheerful smile and a clever sparkle in her eyes saves her from being as plain as thousands of shop girls or farmer’s daughters across the land. She is just under average height and about average weight- about 5’4” and 130 lbs. She has dark brown hair (usually pulled back in a single no-nonsense braid just past shoulder length) and muddy brown eyes. She tends to dress in a simple, almost severe fashion- the only adornment she displays is her holy symbol. Her aberrant dragonmark first formed on the upper left part of her back, and it has recently spread to the shoulder on that side as well- she is careful to keep that area covered as much as possible.

Background: Tessa was born in the rural western frontier of Breland (what is now Droaam). She was orphaned during the war, when the humanoid raiders conquered that region. Along with many other war orphans, she was sent to live in a former monastery of the Sovereign Host that had been converted to help provide a home for the dispossessed children. While many of her compatriots were often shuttled out to work in the fields of the nearby farming villages, Tessa's relative frailty and keen mind were taken into account and she was given more formal instruction. In past days the monastery had been famous for its library, and Tessa was able to learn a great deal about many subjects. She was a quick study, and the priests who ran the place soon decided that she had the makings of a priestess. In those desperate days near the end of the war, there was a great demand for new clergy, especially those gifted at healing. Tessa completed her studies quite quickly, and over the objections of her mentors she was dispatched to help heal Breland's wounded troops. While she did not fight in any battles, Tessa quickly became all too familiar with the horrors of war. Even before she completed her formal investiture, she could channel the simplest healing magics to augment her more mundane medical skills. What only she realized was that the traumatic events she had seen had awakened another force within her as well- she often dreamed of fire, and she had more than natural ability with that element as well. She had studied magics beyond those of the clergy, and she was more than a bit worried about what those signs might mean- but the church needed her, and her nation needed her. With a kind heart and strong will, she believed she could resist the lure of the fire within, and so she finished her studies and was installed as a full priestess of the Sovereign Host. It was on that very night, flushed with accomplishment and excitement, and still shocked at the powers of holy magic she had encountered, that Tessa first noticed a small mark on her shoulder, a patch of skin that seemed oddly burnt. Her healer's training told her this was no natural injury. Within the space of a week, it had blossomed into a mark that could be only one thing- the mark of an abomination, an aberrant dragonmark.

Tessa bore that mark as she began the life of a priestess, traveling from temple to temple as the church directed. She preferred that roving life- it kept her from those who might grow suspicious. Years passed, and Tessa grew from a raw youth into a confident young woman. She traveled under the banner of her church through many lands, and she found respect for her scholarship, and for her growing talents as a healer and priestess. She even learned the basics of combat, and fought both beasts and bandits. But the powers of fire remained close at hand, and she studied many arcane secrets in an effort to master those destructive energies. For the most part she was successful, but sometimes, in the stress of combat or emotion, the fire escaped her mental leash- and the worst part was that she could not deny the visceral rush she felt as those fires surged within her. So at a time when many other priestesses of her rank were settling into permanent temples of their own, Tessa continued to wander, farther and farther from home. In time, she began to neglect the constant work of an itinerant healer-priestess, and finally began to accept the dark side of her gifts- instead of trying to deny the fire completely, she finally began to learn how to truly channel it, to make its powers truly her own, so that she might better serve her faith in the long run. That journey has taken her far from Breland, though, and she joined a small caravan headed to parts unknown. For the first part of the journey, she kept her own counsel, tending the healing needs of the caravaneers and avoiding the powerful adventurers who accompanied the troupe. It was only as they arrived in a truly strange and seemingly Host-forsaken land that she realized she had to do more, she had to step up and offer her assistance…

Quirks: For the most part, Tessa tends to think of herself (and to present herself) as a gifted healer and a dabbler in scholarly issues. She enjoys reading, on a variety of topics, but she hasn’t really had the time to become a true academic expert on most subjects (except for her magical studies)- as interesting as such topics might be. New tidbits of knowledge, especially regarding arcane matters, are always of interest to her.

Tessa really wants to be good, and for the most part she is- she enjoys helping people, and gets tremendous satisfaction from her healing gifts, both mundane and magical. She also has a strong sense of faith, and a deep belief in the strength of the Sovereign Host. But another power dwells within her, and when it surges forth, she can do little to contain it- and to her chagrin, the truth is that she doesn’t want to… Inside her heart and her soul is the power of Fire, elemental and uncontrolled- it suffuses the very essence of her being, placing its mark even on the channels of her divine faith. She tries very hard to keep that fire in check, and she is sometimes reluctant to bring such powers into play- but once she calls upon them, they are hard to resist.

Mysterious MagicSecrets of Xen'Drik: The DC to identify your spells with the Spellcraft skill is increased by 5. This increase is also applied to Spellcraft checks used to identity a spell's school of magic though detect magic or similar effects. In addition, the DC to dispel or counter your spells is increased by 2.Heroic SpiritEb: +3 action points per level.Storm BoltCM: Create line of electricity 1d6 damage/spell level, +1 CL on electricity spells.Child of WinterEb: Treat vermin as animals, add vermin to summon nature's ally list.

Bear truly is an ugly animal. His mottled brown and black fur is streaked with pale blonde/white streaks uncommon to any other known species, his snout is an outrageous shade of red-orange, and his stunted tail tends to quiver obsessively for no apparent reason sometimes.

Tricks: Defend, Attack, Push, Come

Combat
A brown bear attacks mainly by tearing at opponents with its claws.
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a brown bear must hit with a claw attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity.

Carrying Capacity: A light load for a magebred donkey is up to 300 pounds; a medium load, 301-600 pounds; a heavy load, 601-300 pounds. A magebred donkey can drag 4,500 pounds.

Appearance
Janis ir'Sandal is a tall, pale and ethereal looking woman just shy of being pretty, but with a face that instead most people would gracefully call "interesting". Her stark white hair would not be out of place on an albino, but is instead a novelty of her heritage and family. Janis is thin to the point of being painful-looking, and for that reason she favors clothes which obstruct that fact somewhat. To make her thin frame and hair even more plain, she maintains a permanent hidden smile that sits under a prominent nose and large, luminous green eyes. While always looking somewhat distant and mad-looking, Janis' eyes are liquid and clear emerald pools that occasionally spark with arcs of cyan electricity. Despite her frail appearance, anyone with any sense can tell that Janis is as tough as nails and doesn't blow over in a rough wind.

Background

The Sandal family was long a member of the political opposition party of the House of Wyngarn in Cyre, fostering dissidents and socially progressive legislature over the years that always seemed to be just a few years too soon for the adoption by the crown. As such it maintained much support among the common people of Cyre even through the war, and that and its notoriety in the arts and arcane research did much to blunt any possibility of real reprisal from the crown. So entrenched in Cyran politics were the Sandal family that they began to conceive of a rather more expansive interpretation of their "duties" and very discretely began to plot against the crown in rebellion.

Unfortunately for them, the Sandal plots were discovered by Cyran agents and instead of a more severe punishment, many chose to enlist to serve in the Cyran army, to casually venture to far away provinces of the world such as Xen'drik, and in Janis ir'Sandal's case to work her way across the borders into Breland where she arrived only a few months before the Day of Mourning.

Janis spent her requisite days of shock and horror along with the rest of the Cyran expatriates, and then she began to compensate. Janis decided that her most worthy goal was to remake a Cyre such as Cyre always was to her, but her political inclinations and upbringing couldn't bring her to participate in the machinations of Prince Oargev in Breland fully, a fact which she voiced to the wrong people at the wrong time. This proved to be a mistake, and Janis found herself once again fleeing the reach of House Wyngarn, this time to parts unknown. These days she's much more reticent about voicing her opinions on Cyre and the world in general, simply as a measure of self-defense.

After spending many long years studying in the reserved and dubiously social high society scene of Cyre's more prestigious private schools and in the presence of several tutors of distinction, Janis began studying magic from the standpoint of the natural, and unnaturally natural, order itself. As such, her studies have pushed her more and more into a deeper understanding and philosophical empathy with certain druidic sects and teachings.

Primary Role/Distinguishing Abilities
Janis is a blaster thanks to her magic items and Reserve feats, with some significant options from her Druid levels inside and outside of combat.

Quirks

To most people, Janis seems to be a somewhat mousy, unattractively thin woman with a talent for magic. This is indeed the case. Janis is more comfortable with books and the dissection of strange new creatures than with people. Still Janis deeply desires the ability to be one of the charismatic people that she so admires. Added to that fact is that Janis has an incredibly high opinion of her own intelligence and basic value, sometimes in the past she has felt a sense of entitlement beyond her actions. Now older, Janis' dark inclinations have been mellowed into a deep and abiding cynicism.

Janis likes to maintain a cloak of mystery about herself almost as a matter of course. She will talk about Cyre because a Cyran who won't talk about Cyre might provoke interest, but she reveals little else about herself if she can help it. Deeply wounded by more than the Day of Mourning, Janis clings to nihilism as an answer. After all, if it ends (and it all will), it will end badly. Better to be prepared for the worst, and protect others as best you can - even if you don't won't let anyone close to you, even if there are few people worthy of protecting.

Tactics:
Janis enters combat under the guise of mirror image if at all possible and tends to utilize her Storm Bolt reserve feat and Lightning Gauntlets more than actually casting greater magics.

Background - I belong to the Ghaash'kala, and I owe them my life. I was raised by them since I was five years of age. I love our sar'malaan Gan'dal Homm, and I respect our kizshmit Svash Ramaal. I learned all they had to teach me when my mother brought me out of the Demon Wastes, and I know all I know of honor by the hands of the Jaasakah tribe.

Yet each breath I draw now spits upon all they stand for. I dishonor them each day I live. Even so, I feel I must, and yet I curse my own weakness that led me to choose life over honorable death at the hands of my tribe. I was only thirteen when I began to show the signs of sakah; those touched by the rakshasa rajahs. My mother was fair, my dead father similar, so she said. I bore hair of fire-red, an unnatural shade the color of dancing flames that never graced a human head before. Powers began to flow through me, giving me power at my very fingertips. Dark arrows of light, shadowed essence that gave me a silver tongue, fell magic that let me see in the deepest darkness...

This was not the power of dragon magic, or magic wrought through words or runes, nor was it the clean power of Kalok Shash, the cleansing flame. Gan'dal Homm told me my power rose from the rakshasas themselves, and that I had been chosen to be their agent of darkness. I cried when my fate was foretold. My mother did not live out the night after the news. I spent the night huddled in a pit, bound hand and foot, awaiting the dawn for the death it would bring me. But something with me rebelled. A white-furred rat came and gnawed through my bonds, giving me a chance to flee my tribe before my blood was spilled. Crying, I took my new companion with me and fled into the night, my own dark powers protecting me.

My own cowardice has protected me from death at the hands of my adopted family. And their own teachings have led me to protect the lives of many more. Somehow I am determined to honor them as well as I can. I may be a pawn of the rakshasas, but I will do nothing but good with my powers, no matter what comes.

When I left the Demon Wastes, I ran straight into the Last War. But luck, or Kalok Shash's favor, was still with me, and I found myself in the holy land of Thrane. Here Kalok Shash's other face, the Silver Flame, illuminated me within. Though I was stranger than snake feet to them, the Silver Flame could find no evil in my heart, and no harm in my thoughts. With great reluctance, I was sent to prove myself against the undead hoards of Karrnath.

Here was a place where my dark powers could be put to good use. While they destroyed, they also cleansed, and I felt as if I were doing real good for the first time in my life. Many years I battled against Karrnath for Thrane, and even those who cared not for me in the beginning began to offer me bits of kindness. I gathered scars of the mind and of the skin, and yet I could not stop in the face of such overwhelming force... or my own determination to prove my own worth.

The Treaty of Thronehold was hard on many warriors, for how could they rest when the armies that had committed such atrocities still ran at large? Yet the destruction of fair Cyre, and the creation of the Mournland, was enough to cool the bloodlust of even the heartiest. I have drifted as I may in these last two years, seeking employment with others of Thrane to clear pockets of rogue undead and foul demon-spawn. Yet now with no greater cause before me, I wonder and fear if the rajahs might try to reclaim their pawn...

Primary Role/Distinguishing Abilities - Party face and blaster. Will take Beguiling Influence, Eldritch Spear, See the Unseen, and Spiderwalk. He has taken Point Blank Shot, along with Precise Shot (to help with his eldritch blast)as well as Touch of Deception (PGtE pg. 35) to represent his tainted heritage. He is human, but obviously a little bit not human as well.

Quirks - I see Maraat as having a silver tongue that he is not always entirely comfortable with. He was raised to consider the powers that he developed to be demon-touched abominations. While he knows he can help change people's attitudes for the better, he tends to agonize over the ethics of them. He was also raised a barbarian, then spent the next several years in a military theocracy. He doesn't do "frivolous" entertainment, and has several odd customs he goes through daily in an attempt to "purify" himself.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Appearance Height: 5’9”, Weight: 260lbs, Age: 20; A little below average height for his race, but very stout. Ladreth is barrel-chested, his arms burly and his neck thick. His left eye is glazed over with a milky appearance, but his right is as active as any

Background Of Ladreth’s background there is not much to say, at least the strong half-orc wouldn’t tell you. He was nearly cast aside when he was born, with his small size and lame left eye. His mother had cried when she saw him, but the tears of joy never came, instead they stung, bitterness from the deep. Half-orcs had a rough time as it was, not really fitting in, and being undersized and half-blind was no easy task for anyone, Ladreth especially. In a society where men of his kind are forced into a martial lifestyle, each man needs his every advantage.

Ladreth was ridiculed as a child. He was always small, if not a little chubby, and as if his glazed over left eye weren’t enough, no one ever heard him speak, which left him labeled as a half-orc half-wit. Growing up in Atur, knowing no friends, speaking naught, as Ladreth grew he spent all his time alone, training himself to be worthy, so as to be accepted by someone, by anyone. That never came, and resentment for his fellow Karrnathi brewed within. Overtime his softness hardened and his right eye became keen to compensate for his left, although this only helped him attain his ‘averageness.’

Toward the end of the war, a small outbreak of the plague hit his pocket community and much of his family died. When the time came for the military to collect the dead for enlistment, Ladreth instead earned his merit for House Deneith. Through them he has met his true family and honed his skills, acceptance turned into admiration from a few who could witness the metamorphosis of Ladreth into a warrior.

While he knows the nature of his business leads to a shortened life, it is one that Ladreth readily accepts, for he will be reunited with the men whom he considered brothers and friends. For that reason he mourns the death of Tobias Gorzen, but praises the man for his bravery. Ladreth knows he should have died that day with Tobias. With his back pressed against the rough wood door, the stench of decay pervasive throughout his senses, his still beating heart a cacophony of chaos, he readied and welcomed his fate. Although he is not ashamed to feel glad that he still yet lives.

Primary Role Melee combatant and damage dealer/absorber

Quirks As many have noticed, Ladreth has a milky white left eye, which has left him partially blind. His is also very quiet, as if stricken mute.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Paladin Abilities:Aura of Good (Ex): A paladin has a powerful aura of Lawful Good alignment (see Detect Evil for details).Detect Evil: May use Detect Evil at will as per the spell.Smite Evil: May attempt to smite an evil creature with one normal melee attack, adding his Charisma bonus to his attack roll and 1 extra point of damage per paladin level.Divine Grace: Gives a bonus equal to his Charisma modifier to all saves.Aura of Courage (Su): Gains an immunity to fear effects (magical or otherwise). Each ally within 10 feet of him gains a +4 morale bonus on saving throws against fear effects.Divine Health: Gains an immunity to all diseases, including supernatural and magical diseases.Lay on Hands: May heal a number of hit points per day to himself or others. (Paladin level x Charisma modifier in damage healed) Alternatively, may use any or all of this healing power to deal damage to undead creatures.Turn Undead: May use one Turn Undead attempt to drive undead away as a cleric of three levels lower. (3 + Charisma modifier / day)Special Mount: Gains the service of an unusually intelligent, strong, and loyal heavy warhorse 1/day. (Full-Round Action, 10 hour duration)

Rogue Abilities:Sneak Attack: +1d6 damage when opponents lose their Dex bonus or are flanked.Trapfinding: May use the Search skil to find traps with a DC higher than 20.

Shadowbane Inquistor Abilities:Absolute Conviction: Should alignment ever change from lawful good for any reason, may not take additional levels in this prestige class, but he does not lose any class abilities from levels already attained.Pierce Shadows: May use one Turn Undead attempt to shed a holy radiance. (20ft. + 5ft. per level radius centered on inquisitor / 10 minutes per inquisitor level duration)
Sacred Stealth +4: May lose a prepared divine spell to gain a +4 Sacred bonus to Hide and Move Silently checks. (1 + spell level lost minutes in duration)Inquistor Smite: May attempt to smite a judged creature with one normal melee attack, adding his Charisma bonus to his attack roll and 1 extra point of damage per Shadowbane Inquistor level.

Shifter Abilities:Wildhunt Shifter: Man enter a state superficially similar to a barbarian's rage and gain a +2 bonus to Constitution and the Scent ability (shift 1/day, 3 + Con modifier rounds duration)

Background: A shifter orphan raised in the city of Flamekeep, Khensu has always known that the shifter blood that flows through his veins is a weakness to be overcome. The catechism stories told of the savage lycanthropes and their lesser cousins, the weretouched, and the savagery that these races visited upon the civilized races of Khorvaire; how could an impressionable child take it as anything but a condemnation?

He was watched carefully by the proctors, and the slightest trangression was met with harsh reminders that Khensu would always be a lesser race, tainted by the blood of his ancestors. While others would rebel against such judgement, Khensu found instead meaning. As he grew, Khensu strove to purify the bestial taint within him by devotation to the Silver Flame, praying that the cleansing purity of the Flame would cleanse him as Kloinjer cleansed the demon's fire. It was the proudest moment of his young life when he was accepted as a squire of the templars, and he proved his worth on the training grounds and in battling the dark forces that threatened Thrane.

In time, his unyielding stance towards corruption earned him the attention of the Puritans, a faction of the Silver Flame that believes in literal interpretation of the Voice of the Flame. Khensu became a novitiate of the Order of Illumination, a knightly order of the Puritans that strives to cleanse the world of all evil. The Order of Illumination combined the knowledge of evil with the zeal of good, and Khensu drank in the teachings of the Order with a fervor that could only be explained by the knowledge that he was an incarnation of their teachings; the bestial urges he constantly fought granted him insight itno those he destroyed, but to allow them free reign would doom him in the eyes of the Church.

Upon becoming a novitiate of the Order, Khensu was paired with a fellow Lumin, Jarrith Bronns. Jarrith had been brought into the ranks of the Order from the clergy of the Silver Flame, and his studies into the theology of the Church offered insight into different methods of dealing with the evils of the world. Khensu has come to rely on Bronns' differing viewpoints in order to counterbalance the dogma that the shifter forces upon himself to keep himself pure; Khensu also insures that his fellow Lumin does not fall from the path as well. Khensu is currently undergoing the last trails of his novitiate before being granted entry into the ranks of the Inquisitors; once he has joined that august body, he will have realized his life's goal.

Khensu and Jarrith were teamed with Marot on their first mission for the Order of Illumination. What should have been a simple scouting expedition turned bloody when the Khyber cultists they were investigating discovered them and attacked en masse. The Lumins were reprimanded for not successfully completing their mission, and this failure hammered home to Khensu the value of planning - a skill that does not come naturally to a weretouched.

Khensu has trouble trusting Marot fully; the warlock's eagerness to tap into his heritage makes the paladin uncomfortable. The warlock had a way with those they encountered, though, and an understanding of the enemies that the trio frequently faced. It was the warlock that first made contact with Selase, a priestess of Vol who aided the three in escaping Karrlakton when they were trapped there after the Day of Mourning. Khensu could find no evil clinging to her soul, and while her religion is inconceivable to him, he knows that one day she will find the purity of the Flame - whether in life or in death.

It was two years after the Day of Mourning that Khensu discovered the price of notoriety. The Thaliost Station Six was was the papers called them - the three Flamers, Selase, and a pair of Cyran expatriates (Daelin and Janis) fought off a sabotage attempt by minions of the fabled Lord of Blades. Khensu himself slew the warforged sorcerer that led the attack, and was gifted with a holy symbol forged of flametouched iron - a symbol of devotion among the Church of the Silver Flame.

It was almost a year later when Khensu - Sir Khensu now - as well as Jarrith and Marot were tasked with investigating disturbing rumors of lyncathropy in Lessyk. To Khensu's horror, there was a lyncathropic infestation - an infestation that seemed to center on a shifter village. The actions taken in the village were necessary, but Khensu would from then on find himself ostracized by the weretouched for the necessary cleansing that the Lumins visited upon them. Fate revealed the other three of the Thaliost Station Six were in the area as well; Daelin the elf was hunting ghouls within Lessyk, while Selase was present to find missing pilgrims to whom she had been teaching the tenets of Vol. It was Janis, the wizardess, who tied the disparate threads together and all of the Six realized that the lycanthropes, the undead, and the missing pilgrims were the work of an undead lycanthrope who laired beneath Lessyk. The Six united to defeat the undead menace and then departed seperately as quickly as they had come together.

Primary Role/Distinguishing Abilities: Khensu's primary role is that of tank. He has access to limited healing, allowing the clerics to focus on the most injured party members.

Quirks: Unlike his comrade-in-arms, Khensu is deeply introspective. While he has a judgemental streak a mile long, he watches and judges rather than lashes out with fury. Khensu is aware that appearances are not always what they seem to be, and is quite willing to give opponents the opportunity to purify themselves. If they refuse, or are found wanting, he quickly dispatches them to the Hells Below. Khensu does not like to shift, and only does so when necessary - he does not feel comfortable taking on the aspect of the beast within himself.

Tactics: Khensu will always strive to place himself between the weaker members of the party and danger. He will attempt to position himself to allow for a Cleave. If a target is easily hit (AC 13 or less), Khensu will Power Attack for 3. He generally will only use his smite against the most powerful creature in a combat.[/sblock]

Appearance: 5'11", 200 lbs. Tall, lean and all corded muscle, Khensu has the broad, flat nose and propensity towards hairiness of all shifters. Unlike others of his race, he keeps himself well-groomed, trimming the hair on his arms and legs to more easily fit into Flamer society. The dark brown hair on his head is braided and tied back into a topknot. The only concession he has to the habits of his race is a tattoo on his right bicep: normally, it appears to an image of a sword bisecting an hourglass, but when Khensu shifts the hourglass expands, forming a silver flame around the blade of the sword.

Ravika looks even more bestial than most of her shifter bretheren, her body is covered in coarse black fur. She doesn't trim her hair, or any other part of her body hair, leaving it a tangled mess of oily, mangy hair. Bits of twigs, leaves, etc. cling to the hair adding to her disheveled appearance. Her dark brown eyes have a wild appearance to them, always darting from one side to the other, never resting for long on any one thing. Ravika appears almost emaciated, as her lithe body is very gaunt, but well muscled. Her teeth are sharp and yellowed from lack of any maintanence. She wears very little in the way of traditional clothes, preferring to wear clothing made from the hide of animals she's personally killed. Ravika currently has a tattered outfit made from a clawfoot that attacked her.

Background

Ravika was born in the valley in the shadow of the Morr Mountains into a tribe of shifters who were deeply in touch with their more natural, or bestial some would say, nature. They lived a life of simplicity and shunned outside contact, hiding to keep themselves from being discovered. A nomadic group, they travelled across the valley hunting game and living off the land. Ravika had a very strong tie to nature and the natural world and would often disappear for days, and sometimes weeks, at a time to commune more closely with the valley.

Despite her preclivity to disappearing, Ravika was quite intuitive and knowledgable about the region, claiming that the forest spoke to her and guided her hand. Ravika began to be looked at for advice and earned the respect of the clan by leading them to fertile hunting and keeping them from discovery. She was also capable of protecting the clan from the dangers of the wild, once again saying the forest worked through her to protect itself.

Ravika was the first to notice the signs of the insidious curse working through the valley, growing stronger with each passing day. First the natural predators grew more and more viscious, growing beyond her ability to calm them with soothing words. The forest grew silent and she could no longer hear its comforting sounds in her head. Ravika grew quite afraid as she saw a change in her clan as well. They grew more feral and bickering broke out amongst the shifters, which was more than a little unusual. Ravika awoke in a sweat, when she heard the calling. It was a soft voice, similar to the voice of the forest she had grown to love and the druid was comforted by that, thinking that at last the darkness had passed and things would return to normal. How wrong she was.

Something in the voice didn't feel right to Ravika, who by this time had risen in prominance with the clan to an unofficial leader, as there weren't formal leadership. She couldn't put her finger on it, but the soft voice seemed to be trying to pull her away from herself, calling on her to give into her urgings, revel in the feeling of nature and give herself over to the beast inside her. It was so alluring, how she enjoyed the feeling of running through the forest in the form of an animal. That's when a tiny, barely audible voice pushed through the other to be heard. It was a warning, that by following this path she'd be giving up herself. Ravika wasn't sure if it was reason, or the forest that allowed her to see the truth of the situation. She fought against the call and after a tremendous effort managed to shut the voice from her head.

Ravika looked at the others in the tribe after this event and they seemed the same as before. Breathing a sigh of relief the shifter told her fellows that she needed to know what was going on and was going to travel alone to see if she could determine the cause of the unnatural events. Despite her best efforts, though, Ravika was unable to determine the cause herself and after three weeks returned to the site of the tribe. The sight there nearly overwhelmed her. The tribe was no longer itself, they hadn't just taken on some aspects of their lycanthropic heritage, but had fully changed into were-creatures.

Realizing the danger of remaining in the area with a group of powerful creatures, twisted by darkness, Ravika left and tried to figure out how she could release them from the curse. Figuring she had to locate the source of the voice that nearly broke down even her formidable will, Ravika decided to take a look on the tribe to see if there was any improvement.

Returning to the site, Ravika saw the bloody remains of the tribespeople, slain and left unburied. She was glad to see that at least they had returned to themselves, but the shock of seeing them left her empty inside. The shaman wondered what powerful group was powerful enough to have defeated her entire tribe. She examined the wounds and realized that they weren't caused by natural creatures, but by manufactured weapons or by magical assault. Ravika buried the bodies in deep graves to avoid them being dug up by scavenging animals. Standing before the ghosts of the tribe, she swore an oath that she would avenge them and throw off this curse that destroyed them. She realized that her best chance to follow through on this promise was to find the group that freed her family and so turned into her beast form. Ravika set off to track them down....

Personality

Ravika used to be more of an easy going person, good natured and well grounded. However the events that happened recently have more than a little unhinged the shifter. She is more wild and reckless now, speaks constantly to the ghosts of her dead clan. Ravika is more feral and unforgiving, anxious to mete out punishment on those that have destroyed her world. She previously viewed her connection with nature to be one of harmony, which was reflected in her channeling the more peaceful side of nature's power (i.e. cure spells, non-damaging spells, etc), but her newfound anger has made her tap into the more destructive aspects of the forest. Ravika plans to teach whomever was responsible for the corruption of nature that it is not powerless to defend itself.

Avron formerly wore fine clothes. Now his appearance is quite different. His clothes are ripped and stained. His greasy blonde hair is though he cut it with a dagger without the aid of a mirror(and indeed he did). A stubble of a beard coats his cheeks and chin. If one would peel the bracer off his right forearm, one could see recently healed scars where it appears he tried to cut off his dragonmark. His mark is about the size and shape of a clawed human hand, colored purplish black on the inside of his right forearm. His grey eyes constantly dart back and forth, looking for imagined dangers. When excited he spits when he talks, and foam gathers at the corners of his mouth. He wears a blood-stained steel breastplate, and a crooked black iron headband rests around his head. A silver spear is held in one hand and wand and a few vials are tucked into his belt.

Background

Avron Hekler, son of a pair of crossed lovers. Mother from the House of Deneith, father from the House of Tharashk. His parents, a pair that loved adventure, travel, and doing what is right. Unfortunately, love is supposed to stop at house boundaries. Not in this case though. The lovers left their houses, and everything the family name had given them, all in pursuit of something more. Adventuring was a suitable profession for both. They fully trusted one another, and danger wasn’t an issue, until one day. Avron’s parents approached Barovia. They intended to enter the valley, they had heard it contained a powerful curse. The night before crossing the border, his mother awakened feeling extremely sick and her own medical training confirmed what they had feared. She was with child. The pair turned back before entering the valley, not knowing how the power of the curse or the trouble they would find within would affect their unborn child. The pair settled in a small town in Karrnath, because his pregnant mother was having trouble traveling now and because of being excoriated from their houses, the small town would hide their presence. Avron’s mother, a strong woman who had her fair share of injuries while adventuring didn’t survive the childbirthing process, whether it was because of old injuries that had affected her internally, or some other reason is unknown. Avron’s father was horribly affected by the death of his lover. He became increasingly angry at the world and even abusive to his son, something that was not within his personality. The folk of the small town in which they lived pleaded with the man to give up the child and he eventually did. He intended to leave town as well, giving up his child to a local family. The wealth he had from his days of adventuring was given to the family as well. He had no use of them where he was going. After leaving town, he was found hanging dead from the branch of an old rotten tree in the middle of a field. A single crow stood on a branching. Avron tooks his adoptive family’s name for he knew not of his parents’ bloodlines. From a young age he was very intelligent. At the small schoolhouse the town used, Avron soon eclipsed the older students in his breadth and depth of knowledge. Avron learned more of the outside world through small caravans that came through. And they learned of him as well. They learned of the young man who taught villagers Elven after picking it up from passersby. They learned of the teen that shared stories and drinks with adventurers that passed through. Eventually word spread far enough of the learned man that those in higher places sought him out. Morgrave came first, coming to recruit the prodigy to learn at their academy. The price was steep for a simple man like Avron, but he had saved much of his families fortune, and set out for a wider world. Working at Morgrave came to mean more field work; more field work meant more danger. He was sent into Q’barra and the Shadow Marches on several expeditions. He took to it like his parents did, storing all his newly gained knowledge inside his brain.That is when it first appeared. On the return from The Shadow Marches it appeared on the inside of his forearm. A delicate pattern of purplish black color, when he willed it, an invisible shield of force would appear in front of him. He surely knew it was an aberrant mark. He remembered the whispered words of the townsfolk where he grew up, he knew his “parents” did not share any of his features. Could his parents have been of the Dragonmarked houses?Avron researched Dragonmarks and the source of his real parents tirelessly. Soon after, The Twelve inquired about his services. Avron almost declined his membership into their ranks. He convinced himself that he could keep his own mark hidden, and continue his research with those with the best knowledge of the subject. He took a myriad of tasks and missions for The Twelve. This final one was the most dangerous though. He knew somehow that he would not return, but he knew that what he found would change him forever. Once they walked the countyside, things began to fall into place. They traveled through the small town where he had grown up, and into Barovia itself.Sitting and waiting was getting on Avron’s nerves. Doubt plagued his mind, he had learned of the curse here. Was his mark some sort of effect of the curse? He was beginning to have nightmares. He was himself as an child, his father beating him for a minor wrong, soon his father’s face became that of Mateusz Ochem’s. He became more and more paranoid that something bad was going to happen very soon, he had visions of a horde of undead pulling him from his bedroll and ripping him apart. Something had to be done, somebody needs to know. The combat capable group that was hired by The Twelve, they would work, they were his only hope.

Primary Role/Distinguishing Abilities

Avron does not belong in melee, he is a blaster and specialist in controlling the battlefield. He keeps hordes of enemies at bay, where his companions can take them on at their leisure.

Quirks

Before returning to the valley, Avron was a knowledgeable and able-minded man. Now back near his home, stranded in a valley with a boss who could make a ogre look cruel, he has gone mad. The sanity that shows through from time to time is amazingly intelligent and empathetic. Most of the time Avron shows signs of his mental state, seeing things, cursing at nothing, cackling maniacally and telling all of their impending doom.